Choosing a leader: what criteria do you go by?

During dinner with some friends recently, they shared that their son was one of four players to be chosen as captain of the high school soccer team for the next school year. Of the four captains; two will be seniors, one will be a junior and the fourth will be a sophomore. The sophomore choice has created some very heated debates within the community of soccer families. My friend made the statement, "I have no problem with the choice. He is a fantastic soccer player who plays all year round."

This situation sounded eerily familiar and translates well into the business world. So many times we see individuals chosen/promoted into management/leadership positions because they are so great and successful at their job. The question of whether that individual has the ability to lead rarely gets much attention in the initial decision. Often times these "stars" are set up to fail as managers because their skill sets just don't include leadership abilities.

In my opinion, a captain/leader of a team has one very distinct role: to influence or induce a group to perform at their absolute best for the betterment of the team/organization.

Does it matter that a Captain plays all year round? Is it a prerequisite that the Captain be the best player on the field? The qualities that are needed to do this are often not related at all to the skill set they have when performing in their position. This sophomore may be the fastest and highest scoring member on the team but does he have the ability to bring together and inspire the other members to pursue excellence? For that matter does the junior and the seniors?

Look at the Captains in your organization, were they chosen for their skill or for their ability to bring about the best in others?

Would love to hear your thoughts...please comment.